A LIFE-SAVING convoy taking medical aid to Gaza set off from Scotland yesterday.

Twenty volunteers left Glasgow Central mosque to make the 3000-mile journey in nine trucks.

They'll be joined by helpers in Lancashire and West Yorkshire and will link up with Record columnist George Galloway's Viva Palestina convoy in the Middle East.

Scottish Medical Aid for Gaza have collected donations from churches, mosques, hospitals and chemists across Scotland and England. The convoy, led by Hasan Nowarah, expects to take around 14 to 18 days to reach Gaza. Rizi Mohammed, Scottish Medical Aid to Gaza co-ordinator, said: "Scotland shines brightly again as the brightest beacon of hope through this collective effort, on an international level, as a true caring nation.

"Generosity of this magnitude could only have come from people who are blessed with a tender heart and a caring multi-cultural, multi-faith community."

Volunteer Akhtar Khan, said: "This task started because Scottish people could not stand back and watch innocent women and children being massacred."